


Don't learn to be lonely

by Chelidona (Hobbity)



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fili is from Bree, Friends to Lovers, Kili is from Ered Luin, Loneliness, M/M, Making Friends, Modern AU, Modern Middle Earth, there are still hobbits dwarves humans etc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 00:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7954969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobbity/pseuds/Chelidona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fíli feels crushed by his loneliness, but a cure is around the corner when his path crosses with Kíli's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't learn to be lonely

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me last night and wouldn't leave me alone until it was finally written.

Another Saturday night. Fíli stared at the monitor in front of him. He had been browsing YouTube for hours now, but he couldn’t remember what he had actually watched. His original plan for the evening had been to watch a film, or maybe read a book. Instead, he had wasted the evening aimlessly browsing the internet. Again.

He supposed it was healthier than other methods of combatting loneliness. He was proud that he still hadn’t started to drink.

That bottle of mead he bought on a whim weeks earlier had seemed so very tempting only hours before when he had felt that he needed to scream and run out of the house, to do anything, just not feel this horrible sense of emptiness. As if his thoughts actually circled like a tornado around a vast emptiness inside his skull.

He pressed his knuckles against his eyes.

The walls seemed to be more constricting every day. Yes, he went out for a walk every day. He went to work even. But he still felt trapped within his own flat.

Going outside just compounded his loneliness. He would see people hang out with friends. Make plan with friends. Hear them complain about having too much going on, about how it was so hard to make time for their social life what with work. He saw people in love.

Then he scolded himself for feeling this way. He had family and friends. Sort of. He loved his parents and he lived closed to them. Saw them all the time in fact. When they were not off to see their friends, of course. Because contrary to him, his parents had managed the fine art of socializing.

He had an old friend from school. They had even lived together for a while. Aragorn. A human. He saw Aragorn about once every two or three months when they would go for a pint and update each other on their lives. Fíli always tried to make his appear so much more interesting than it was. Aragorn was marrying his half-elf fiancée Arwen in February. That was over six month away but already occupied most of Aragorn and Arwen’s thoughts. Fíli was invited and felt not inclined to go. At all. But he would. Of course.

Then there was Faramir. Faramir, another human, who lived far away in Gondor. Faramir used to live in Arnor as a child and they were still in touch. Faramir came to spend his summer holidays in Arnor every year and would visit Fíli.

And that circumscribed his entire social interactions, apart from the “His’”, insincere “How are yous” and “Byes” at work. Fíli was pathetic enough to crave even that little bit of interaction.

(Also what was wrong with him that he never connected with other dwarves?)

He stared despondently at his computer screen again.

Other people made friends online. They all claimed to be so socially awkward, but they made friends.

He didn’t.

On his favourite forum, the one on swordfighting, people would talk to him if he messaged them first. But they wouldn’t message him first. He just felt like he annoyed them so he had stopped interacting there.

He should just give up on this socializing nonsense. It wasn’t for him.

When he was younger, “Phantom of the Opera” had been his favourite musical. On a whim, he searched the songs. “Learn to be lonely” caught his attention. Yes that could be his theme song.

While he was still listening to it, he went on Facebook. It usually just depressed him more to see his old acquaintances getting on with their life, having families, friends and doing fun stuff, but on the other hand it was also just this tiny bit of a connection when he could click “like.” He had interacted with another being.

The first thing that caught his attention in his feed was a picture of a “Phantom of the Opera” poster, posted by an old friend from university, Otho.

“Remember when we were all crazy about this?” he had written as a capture. On an impulse, Fíli replied:

“Of course I do! Who could forget that performance?”

“That performance” had been an incredibly good show by an enthusiastic group of students. Fíli hoped that most of them had been able to fulfil their dream to make a career on stage. Back then, he had a group of friends and they had gone together.

A minute later Otho sent him a message. 10 minutes later he had an invitation to a barbecue Sunday, the very next day.

*

Fíli let the conversation wash over him. He concentrated on the pasta salad in front of him. Breathe in, breathe out, he told himself. Yes, the jokes were terrible. The conversation mainly inane.

But he had promised himself. He would not remain buried at home. He should be grateful to be here, among people. It was not like he fit in better anywhere else. So he smiled when Lobelia asked him in a sugary voice, how he had been, what a shame it was that they hadn’t seen each other in so long. He mumbled how well he was, how busy and he pretended to just have seen Aragorn the previous week, having had so much fun (when in reality, they seen each other last a month ago, and Aragorn had barely had time for a pint, stressed out over his wedding).

At the end of the evening he had agreed to go to the themepark the very next weekend with Otho, Lobelia and Falco. He had always like Falco better than Otho. Otho had married Lobelia while they were still at university, because Lobelia had become pregnant. Little Lotho was four now. Falco was currently single and had implored Fíli to tag along, since he loved to go on the rides and he needed another bachelor to come and have fun with him, they would take another cousin, his wife and kid. Falco said he needed someone to go on rides with.

All in all, yes there had been a reason why he had drifted away from this particular group. Part of it was Lobelia and Otho becoming wrapped up in their little baby. But more importantly, his political views clashed rather badly with that of the Bagginses. (Sometimes he wondered if they actually noticed that Fíli was very obviously a dwarf. Not a hobbit. They blithely talked about “the other races” and grumbling about men encroaching on areas of Bree formerly inhabited only by hobbits). Not to mention that he found them dull. But here was somebody who actually wanted him, Fíli, to come along. Even if it was because there was nobody else to ask. That meant Falco had nobody else to ask but him.

*

The theme park was fun. The first surprise was to meet Bilbo Baggins, a cousin of Otho and Falco, some years older than them. He was there to fill in for little Frodo’s parents, he explained, looking none too pleased. Otho tickled the confession out of Bilbo that he had made the tactical mistake of giving babysitting vouchers to Frodo’s parents as a Christmas present and they had redeemed one of them today, so they could have a nice day as a couple while Bilbo took care of Frodo at a theme park.

Apparently, the idea had been that little Frodo and little Lotho could play together. That didn’t work too well, Frodo was constantly complaining that he missed “Sam.”

Falco and Fíli soon fled and went on rides on their own. If he carefully avoided any topic that could be remotely political, it was actually fun to hang out with Falco.

They all convened for a late lunch at a restaurant overlooking the fairytale forest. By this point, Frodo and Lotho had to be placed at the opposite ends of the table. Fíli found himself next to Frodo, a five-year old with the largest blue eyes he had ever seen.

Frodo turned to Fíli and asked “Why do you have such a silly moustache?”

“FRODO!” Bilbo chided. Fíli just smiled and flicked one of his moustache braids.

“It’s a fashion among dwarves,” he explained.

“Dwarves have beards,” Frodo informed him. Or Bilbo. Fíli wasn’t sure which. He felt a vicious spark of delight when he noticed that the other Bagginses were uncomfortable by this bland statement that Fíli was not, in fact a hobbit. Which should really be very, very visible. He was a small dwarf, but taller than the hobbits, broader than the chubby Falco and had a beard whereas their faces were smooth. A fact they actually took pride in, it were only those Eastfarthing hobbits who had beards. And often even went in boots!

Otho and Falco had just decided they liked Fíli when they were in university and had apparently been blind to Fíli’s beard and boots ever since then.

He had to ignore them soon, because Frodo began to fire off questions about dwarves, mainly concerned with beards and hair and braids.

“I thought the dwarves with braids were the dwarf ladies!” Frodo exclaimed after he had been forced by Bilbo to decide on a meal because the waiter was already waiting. Bilbo tried to shush him again, but Fíli shook his head smiling.

“Don’t worry Bilbo, I don’t mind. Braids are a matter of tradition and taste, Frodo.”

“Oh.” Frodo looked at him again. “I like yours,” he decided then.

“Just not the moustache then.”

“It’s silly,” Frodo declared again. “But the beads are pretty.”

They continued the conversation throughout dinner, after which Frodo had decided that Fíli was his new favourite person in the group and that he had to come to the fairytale forest with Bilbo and him. As soon as Frodo had voiced his desire to visit the fairytale forest, Lotho declared that that was the lamest area in the entire theme park.

The group split up. Falco sulked a bit when Fíli gave in and joined Bilbo and Frodo, but Otho saw his chance to tell Lobelia that he would go off doing “men’s stuff” with Falco, and she should take care of Lotho.

*

“Lobelia is going to kill him,” Bilbo remarked while Frodo had run off to marvel at a giant gingerbread house.

“That’s likely,” Fíli admitted.

“Anyway, I am really sorry about all the questions Frodo badgered you with … I know dwarves are very secretive and I hope it didn’t make you too uncomfortable.”

“It’s really fine,” Fíli assured him. “And anyway, we’ve lived among hobbits and men in Arnor for over a century now, most of us have become a bit more open than you think.”

“I am sorry … I just …”

“Don’t worry. And it’s salutary to hear Frodo call my moustache braids silly, I tend to take too much pride in them!”

Frodo called them over and insisted that Fíli lifted him up so he could peer through the upper window.

***

Fíli was surprised when one week later he got an email from Bilbo.

_Dear Fíli_

_I trust you remember me – and little Frodo – from the theme park last week! Frodo has taken quite a shining to you._

_What you probably don’t know is that Frodo and I share a birthday – it’s next Sunday! He insisted that we celebrate it together. You must have noticed that he is an insistent little fauntling. He would really like to have you there and I would also be delighted to continue our conversation._

_I would be very honoured if you could accept our last minute invitation._

_Otho, Lobelia and Falco will also be there._

_With best wishes,_

_Bilbo_

Bilbo had attached a pdf with the formal invitation; Bilbo apparently lived quite a distance from Bree, in the Shire near Hobbiton. But of course Fíli accepted. He had really enjoyed little Frodo’s company.

***

On the Sunday he borrowed his parent’s car to drive down to Hobbiton. The drive was pleasant; few regions of Middle-Earth were as beautiful as the Shire.

Bilbo lived in a smial. Fíli couldn’t help being impressed. Owning a smial these days equalled owning a manor among men. The party, however, was just down from the smial, underneath the “Party Tree” of Hobbiton.

He arrived too early. Nobody he knew, apart from Bilbo, was already here, it seemed, and Bilbo and some Hobbits he didn’t know were still busy setting up the buffet.

Fíli would have waited by the car, but Bilbo spotted him and waved him over. So he took the fresh bread his mother had provided and his own potato salad and walked over to place them on the buffet.

Bilbo shook his hand, polite hobbit that he was. One of the younger hobbits just stared at Fíli. The shire was still mainly inhabited by hobbits, a dwarf stood out. Then the hobbit looked at the bread.

“That isn’t the famous dwarfish war bread, is it?”

Fíli laughed. “No, I didn’t mean to kill anyone.”

The young one's eyes grew. “So is it true? Do you have battlebread, do you …”

“HAMISH!” Bilbo admonished the young man, aghast. Fíli ignored him and laughed.

“No, it isn’t, I’m afraid. Dwarves used to live in mountains, remember? We were never renowned for our farming skills. It would have been uneconomical to make weapons out of flour that had to be imported.”

“Yes, of course.” Hamish deflated a little bit. He seemed about to ask more, when a small boy ran up to him and tugged his sleeve. Hamish introduced him as his little brother Sam, presumably the Sam Frodo was friends with.

The meadow began to fill up. When Frodo spotted him, he ran up to him to show off his new suit with a bright red waistcoat. Frodo’s mother came up behind him and just shook her head.

“It will be torn and dirty by tonight,” she predicted, smiling at Fíli. “I am Primula, Frodo’s mum. Nice to meet you, Frodo has told us much about you and your adventures in the fairytale forest.”

“Yes, nice to meet the dwarf with the silly moustache.” Her husband put his arm on her shoulder and ignored the elbow she jabbed into his ribs. Frodo got his candidness from his dad. “I’m Drogo. We already heard about you from Otho and Falco, of course.”

“Of course.”

Fíli got the impression that neither Bilbo nor Drogo liked Otho or Falco very much. It made him value those two Bagginses higher but he knew that they didn’t have a favourable impression of him, knowing him as Otho and Falco’s old friend.

After Primula and Drogo had just moved away, following their bouncy boy, Fíli went back to his car to fetch his presents for Frodo and Bilbo. Just as he slammed his car shut, a large sedan parked next to his own car. A tall man emerged, dressed in the grey robes of a priest.

“I told you to take the road to the right, you stubborn dwarf,” the man complained to the driver.

“You told me too late,” a deep baritone replied. Fíli craned his head to see a tall dwarf emerge from the driver’s side.

“We got here in the end, though.” A cheerful young dwarf rounded the car and looked curiously at Fíli.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You’re at the Baggins party too?”

“Yes, yes I am.”

Mahal, but that dwarf was skinny. His proportions were nearly that of a human! And he hardly had any beard at all. Fíli was immediately attracted.

“Kíli, at your service.” The other gave an old-fashioned bow but grinned cheekily. “This is my uncle, Thorin.”

“At your service,” the older dwarf grumbled and indicated a small bow. Fíli returned it and mumbled a belated “Fíli. At your service,” too. He didn’t spend enough time among dwarves, especially not traditional dwarves.

“And I am Gandalf,” the man introduced himself with twinkling eyes, holding out his hand. Fíli shook it, a bit confused.

“I am an old friend of Bilbo’s mother,” Gandalf explained, while Kíli and Thorin began to unpack the food they brought. Without thinking, Fíli slid the straps of his bag with presents onto his forearm and took two bowls from Kíli. Thorin shoved a parcel in Gandalf’s hands.

As they walked towards the party, Kíli smiled brightly at Fíli again.

“Thorin and I actually don’t know anyone here,” he explained. “I am moving to Bree, to study. Thorin’s car broke, so Gandalf offered to take us. Gandalf is an old friend of my grandfather.” He grinned. “He seems to be old friends with a number of people.”

“That certainly appears to be the case.”

Bilbo bustled closer to them and Gandalf cheerfully introduced his two companions. Apparently he had neglected to tell Bilbo about these additional guests, but they had brought plenty of food, so Bilbo said that they were very welcome.

Kíli remained close to Fíli. By now, Fíli had revealed that he was from Bree and had just finished his master degree at Bree University. Kíli peppered him with questions about Bree and social life in Bree, most of which Fíli couldn’t answer because he never really had a great social life.

He was really annoyed when Falco came up to them and he had to introduce Kíli. He liked this dwarf. He didn’t want him to meet Falco. Then he felt petty, because it was actually flattering that Falco still thought of him as a friend and sought him out amidst all his family.

He managed to steer the subject to the musicals they had watched while they were at university. That had been his entry into the Baggins circle, their shared passion for musicals and their overall taste in music. They had gone to tons of concerts.

It turned out that Kíli loved musicals too, but there were hardly ever any performances in Ered Luin Town, where he lived. The majority of dwarves preferred folk songs or rock music, not musicals and Ered Luin Town was nearly exclusively populated by dwarves. Some elves and men lived in scattered villages in the mountains, but they hardly ever went to Ered Luin Town for entertainment, preferring the old Elvish town of Mithlond.

During the evening he managed to talk some more to Drogo and Primula, played hide and seek with Frodo, Kíli and a host of fauntlings who screeched in delight when the strong dwarves lifted them up once they were found, talked some more to Bilbo and even to Thorin. He felt exhausted when he drove home. He hadn’t talked to that many people in a year.

***

On Monday Fíli got a text message from Kíli. The young dwarf had asked for his phone number and wheedled a promise out of Fíli to show him around the university.

Now, Kíli asked when Fíli would have time. A few messages later and they had decided on Wednesday. Fíli didn’t have to work Wednesday afternoons, as a compensation for staying in the office longer on Thursdays and Fridays.

They met for lunch at a small restaurant near the university, which specialised on pasta. From there, Fíli gave him a tour of the university’s main building, walked him to the buildings where he would actually have his seminars in and showed him all the cheapest restaurant in the area and all the shortcuts he discovered over the years. Kíli lived near the university, sharing a flat with two dwarves he hadn’t met before. One, he said, was also from Ered Luin, Bofur, while the other, Ori, was from Moria in the East.

The evocation of Moria, that most ancient of all dwarfish settlements, evoked a picture of a burly, square dwarf with a gloriously bushy beard in Fíli. Kíli grinned impishly.

“You will have to meet Ori! He doesn’t look at all like you’d picture a Moria dwarf!”

***

And on the Saturday he did meet Ori at an impromptu housewarming party. The gathering was small, neither Kíli, nor Ori, nor Bofur knew many people. Ori looked even less like a typical dwarf than Kíli. Dwarf beauty standards demanded a square, heavily muscled torso ideally with a bit of belly fat too, legs like treestumps and a full, luscious beard. Kíli, at least, had a mass of hair on his head and while his shape was too lithe, it had the right form (if one overlooked the long legs. And Fíli actually liked long legs. Kíli was the most attractive person he’d ever encountered according to his personal ideal). Ori on the other hand … Fíli didn’t dwell on that. It wasn’t as if Fíli was the picture of dwarfish manhood, he was a bit on the lean side as well and he had always fancied skinny dwarves like Kíli (or Hobbits. It pained him to admit to himself that there had been a time when he had a small crush on Falco. Luckily he hadn’t even been close to falling in love, something dwarves only did once.).

He didn’t have much time to brood during the party. Ori was almost painfully shy among his new flatmates, but he seemed to consider Fíli a kindred spirit and they spent most of the evening talking about all the plans that Ori had for university.

*

Fíli had no idea how it had happened. But from having basically no social life, he found himself meeting Kíli at least once a week, for lunch or a beer after work (or classes, in Kíli’s case), meeting Ori for tea some afternoons and soon being invited to their flat to share take-aways and watch old films. He also met Falco once to watch “Beren and Luthién,” one of the most popular musicals. He actually had difficulties finding a date to meet Aragorn for their usual pint in October.

In November Kíli called him unexpectedly, just hours after they had lunch together.

“Have you read it?”

“Have I read what?”

“There’s going to be a musical based on the story of Durin IV and his quest to find Frigg!”

It was the most popular romance in the dwarfish literature.

“I hadn’t.”

“I’m going to send you the link, hang on, are you on your computer? You’ve got to see this!”

It turned out that the musical would premiere in January. In Moria, of course. On a whim, Kíli asked if Fíli would go with him to Moria to see it. What a question.

***

All his friends had returned home for Yule, but Fíli had a good time with his parents and his father’s two sisters, who came to visit with their husbands and broods of children. Dwarves usually had at least three children, Fíli’s parents were an exception. He had fun with his cousins, all younger than him, but he couldn’t wait until the first week of January, when he would pick Kíli up from the train station. They would drive in Fíli’s parents' car to Moria, where they had booked a room. With twin beds, because the expense of two rooms was too much on their budget. Fíli had only been to Moria once, as a small child, and he was excited to see the original home of the Longbeards.

***

Kíli was animated on the drive, talking about everything he heard about the musical. They had both watched the trailers online; the music was inspired by traditional Dwarfish music fused with a modern orchestra. They incorporated two old songs about Durin and his fiancée, Frigg and had a magnificent stage in one of the old halls in Moria with absolutely fantastic acoustics and the best possible backdrop for a story about dwarfish royalty.

They arrived late in the evening, but both were pumped up enough, despite the long drive, to haunt the streets of Moria to find a good restaurant and just enjoy the atmosphere of the old halls of stone.

*

The next day, after they had visited the old palace section and Fíli had watched Kíli taking snapshots, Fíli had to admit the truth to himself. It looked like he hadn’t guarded his heart well enough.

Dwarves were stubborn in their love. Nearly half of them never fell in love during their life. And those who did only loved once in their life. This had led to the myth among other races that dwarves had “soulmates,” their “One,” the only person they could ever be with. Considering how far dwarves had scattered around Middle Earth, Fíli was glad that that was just a myth. He didn’t fancy spending his life looking for one elusive dwarf. But they were told as children, that they needed to watch their hearts, lest they fell in love with somebody who would not reciprocate their feelings.

But Kíli had slipped past all of Fíli’s defences.

***

The plot of the musical reflected some of Fíli’s anxieties. Durin IV had met Frigg during one grand reception and during a dance, he had lost his heart. But Frigg was gone the next morning, and all the king’s messengers and spies couldn’t find the elusive dwarrowdam. There was an ensemble piece in which the cortege of Durin IV lamented the fact that their king had not guarded his heart and how it reflected badly on his kingship.

*

After the musical they had a drink of old-fashioned, overprized ale at a local “tavern” which catered to the event venue. Kíli appeared deep in thought.

“So what did you think?” Fíli prompted him.

“It was great!” Kíli smiled broadly. “I always knew that dwarfish tales would make great musicals. And I loved the songs! I hope they do a tour, my uncle and my sisters would love this too.”

“I am sure.” Fíli already knew how traditional Thorin was. “It was worth the trip to Moria, though.”

“Oh, definitely!”

They talked about the staging and the performers, agreeing that the dwarrowdam portraying Frigg looked just as beautiful as a queen should look. After his third pint, Kíli turned his face down but glanced at Fíli through his eyelashes.

“What did you think about the song when they sang that Durin IV was a lesser dwarf for losing his heart too quickly?”

“I …” Fíli tried to gather his thoughts. Of course, at the end of the play, Durin IV was validated, because Frigg was the perfect queen, but the song itself … “I like the song and I guess there was some truth in it.”

“Was there?” Kíli sighed, looking down into his empty glass. “Can we really only lose our heart once?”

Fíli shrugged. “I’ve never heard of any dwarf who fell in love twice. Widowed dwarves who remarried for companionship, yes, but falling in love … once or never.”

“Do you think you’ll ever fall in love?”

“Well … yes.” Fíli was proud of his ability to keep his features neutral. Kíli had no such mask. The younger dwarf seemed seriously troubled, his dark eyebrows drawn down. When he didn’t say anything, Fíli prompted gently.

“What about you?”

“Me? … I’m reckless like Durin IV.” Kíli looked up and made a valiant effort to grin. “I fell in love already, but I don’t know … it was premature ... does that make you think less of me?”

“What? No!”

“Because you said there was some truth in that song.” Kíli looked genuinely upset now.

“No, no, I didn’t mean ….” Fíli grimaced. “No, I mean, a lot of dwarves say that and …” There went his reputation for being always so calm and collected. “All right, Kíli, I was also not careful enough, I am certainly in no position to judge.”

Kíli frowned. “You did? When? I mean …” It was always cute to see Kíli’s efforts at thinking. “You don’t know that many dwarves, is it a hobbit, or … I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry, I …”

This conversation was getting out of hand too fast. “It’s not a hobbit, no. And I don’t know many dwarves.”

Way to bring up his social isolation.

“I’m really sorry,” Kíli repeated. “I’m just … the play upset me a little bit. I told Thorin that I lost my heart to you and …”

The glass clattered to the ground when Kíli slapped his hands against the mouth, drawing the attention of every dwarf in the tavern. Fíli stopped himself from staring at Kíli. On autopilot, he went to the bar to request a dustpan and a brush.

When he returned to the table, Kíli had recovered sufficiently to wrestle them from him to clean up himself. Fíli mopped up the tiny bit of beer that had been left in the glass with a couple of tissues that were on the table. After they had done their duty, they headed out by unspoken agreement.

They walked back to the hotel in silence. Fíli’s mind and heart were racing. He wanted to say something, but part of his brain insisted that he had misheard, that Kíli could not be in love with him, that he would just embarrass himself if he said something to imply that.

But Kíli had said it. The acoustics in the bar were not the best, but Kíli reaction indicated that he had not misheard.

They couldn’t have this conversation on the street anyway, Fíli told himself.

Back in their room, Kíli sat down awkwardly on his bed.

“Is it okay for you to share the room tonight, after … after what I said?”

He was taller than Fíli, but he looked like chastened little child, unshed tears shimmering in his large eyes and worrying his lower lip.

Fíli wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers.

“Yes, I …” He sat down on his bed, opposite Kíli. “I’ve fallen in love with you too.”

Heavy silence fell for a moment. Then Fíli’s head collided with the wall behind him. Kíli had tackled him, holding onto Fíli as if his life depended on it. He was laying on Fíli know, whose upper back was pressed against the wall.

“Oh.” It had taken a moment for Kíli to notice that Fíli had knocked his head. “Sorry, are you … are you okay?”

“Yes.” Dwarves were hardy after all. Fíli pushed himself into an upright position again, hardy or not, it was uncomfortable with his neck and shoulders supporting the weight of Kíli on top of him. That resulted in Kíli sitting in his lap.

Kíli slid off with an embarrassed cough.

Social conventions among dwarves demanded that after such a declaration, they needed to court formally.

It was all silly, really, many young dwarves had casual relationships and those who were interested in sexual relationships didn’t wait until they fell in love, despite the warnings that they might fall in love with the wrong person.

But Kíli was from a traditional family and Fíli could see from Kíli’s stiff posture that he wouldn’t even get a kiss until the first courting gifts were exchanged.

So he opened his phone and started searching for late night shops in Moria. The first gift was usually something small, with any luck they would be done in a couple of hours. Fíli did not intend to wait any longer until he finally found out how those lush lips tasted.

**Author's Note:**

> Not betaed ... please let me know if you catch mistakes :)  
> Edit: I forgot to mention - the dwarfish battlebread is a reference to Terry Pratchett Discworld. I practically worship Terry Pratchett for creating the Discworld novel and I couldn't resist the reference.


End file.
